Climate change starting to affect Maryland farms (Viewpoint)

Editor’s note – this article was originally posted on Delmarva Farmer and was re-published here with permission. While the content focuses on farms, it is also relevant to anyone growing in Maryland, including homeowners.

The day I drove to Easton, Md. to discuss climate change with the staff of The Delmarva Farmer, it was raining so hard I couldn’t see the car ahead of me on the Bay Bridge.
It’s easy to write off a torrential rain like that as just another case of bad weather.
However, long-term records of rainfall in the Third National Climate Assessment in 2014 show that much more of our rain now falls in downpours rather than in the gentle soaking rains I remember as a kid.

“Bad weather” is becoming more common.

Photo credit – Sara Via

The increasing frequency of downpours in our region is just part of what scientists call “the new…